Backless

Well, there y'go. Although it doesn't even appear to be the case of calling for the cavalry when it's dawned on the management that what theyre serving up is substandard - it seems that the cavalry were going to turn up anyway in it's own sweet time. It doesn't matter if the first half of the tour is a rip off, at least WE get to live the dream

Actually, you can. But that's a technological development that's been in place for quite some time. So, it's down to the organisers to arrange their schedule to suit the rider availablity & turn out with a proper team at ALL venues - or does the additional expense that the (in this case) Newcastle promotion & public went to come secondary to a troupe of novices "living the dream"? Nice attitude. Is that the same one adopted by the management? If that's the case, expect a more relaxed schedule next year. Repeated comments about the EL Sky fixture are irrelevant. Unless you're trying to defend your substandard fayre as "we're rubbish, but so are others".

Advertise it as an opportunity to meet nice, genuine, guys then Evidently, the drafting in of Novratil (wh was very good last year) suggests that I'm not the only one who thinks that Sunday wasn't good enough.

All the more reason to pull the plug if necessary. Apart from anything else, based on this year's experience, the promoters' aren't exactly going to be beating down doors next year, are they? Nothing other than a waste of my time & money - that personal enough for you?

And what bearing does that have on this year? All the more reason for withdrawing if they're not up to it - which they clearly aren't - rather than serving up substandard novice fayre.

Will he adopt the single name of "Asbo" in an attempt to develop his career until he rides for Rye House?

So, how did THAT work for YOU?

Quite WHY would I have known the teams before going? The programme compiler didn't. Do Tippex make aerosols? Was there an option to pay to watch the proper speedway riders & claim back the additional charge for the novice training school? Pumping out substandard rubbish like last night does more harm to speedway than anything else.

If what was served up last night is anything to go by, it's high time promoters looked at what they're agreeing to stage. So, Ingalls has been reasonable at reserve for Workington & Burmeister... wears a Wolves race jacket for little apparent reason & this has led to a "period of rebuilding". Well, in that case rebuild. And when you're good enough, only then expect the public to pay for it. Until then, if you want to pay to come over to ride, Scunthorpe run Amateur Meetings regularly, and I'm sure Newport, Stoke & one or two others would too. Two 50 somethings on a nostalgia trip & a bunch of novices half a lap off the pace. Not that the other lot were any better. I'm all for providing opportunities, but it would have shown a great deal more commonsense if Team Viking / Kangeroo / Tyke / Springbok / Whatever had shown some dignity & withdrawn earlier in the week. To be ponying that lot out as anything other than an ego trip for the organisers is laughable. (Relatively) disappointing to see Belle Vue Colt McKinna sat in the pits while Belle Vue Colt Bekker was on track. At least there was an opportunity for a Brit to be involved. With a few days notice, a northern team could have been assembled that could have had their confidence boosted by strolling to victory. Come to think of it, Cowboy Johnny Swales was on tractor duty last night & was involved in organising the Northern Junior League last season: if it's running again later in the season, that would have been a good way to launch it.

A simple "No" would have sufficed. So who's trying, and what are they trying (apart from Uncle Len having a nostalgic trip in his dotage - or has Arthur Daley been in touch with a lock up full of hookey Hackney memorabilia & THAT's where the scheme started? Exactly, in real, tangible terms, what is "it" that south-east and London based supporters may or may not decide to support? Leicester is a ball that's been rolling for years as opposed to an old man's sepia tinged exploitation to boost his pension.

Any documentary proof to suggest this campaign is anything other than a figment of your imagination? News of how the campaign is progressing? The only way Uncle Len could try milking it any more would be to buy a dairy farm. He might as well make the team wear plain black kevlars, wear pudding basin helmets & film (not video) the races in black & white. Nice to see an old man, happy in his memories of a youth long gone.

There's a double header at Scunny every Bank Holiday Monday

Except, like last year, the Ben Fund Bonanza has a field of 20. So it's not the entire field.

Yeah, & I'm pretty sure it'll be the local branch who are involved in the sponsorship - or maybe in the seventies when the top League was sponsored by Gulf Oil it was because Arabs were keen on speedway

Exactly what I said last night - albeit I used Ellesmere Port as the example (much to the confusion of at least one befuddled cock-a-ney ) Presumably Neil Machin is looking for some form of sponsorship for his involvement & Rob Godfrey for his. How would it look if the latter went to the Saints current sponsor ( a local firm, I believe) & announced "oh, & they're called Hull now"???

Alternating between TWO ... complex matrix?

Interesting (sort of) that you feel the need to sever the second part of my comment in order to suit your purposes before making your patronising comments. If you cared to read the GP threads you refer to, you would find that I'm in favour of a London staged GP, to the extent that if it came down to one meeting I think it would be better there than in the principality. Even oop north I'm fully aware of the building of West Ham's new ground - so, surely the 'Ammers would be more appropriate than the 'Awks- and secondary venues. Any form of motorsport wouldn't form part of the "Olympic Legacy" for obvious reasons, but that's another example of selective editing.

The strongly back & well funded campaign to bring speedway back to East London seems to be garnering as much exposure as your average Freemasons lodge. (Not a great deal, in case you need more help) Luv a duck! And you used "over-reacting" in my direction! At what point has there been any display of any "anti-London bias"? Dragging up a long defunct club name to pony it around two other tracks as some sort of seperate entity (when it reality it's Rye House in a different racejacket) appears to me to be plain daft - but no more daft than Belle Vue sharing out their NL matches under the name of Ellesmere Port. Anyway, some of my best frieds are cock-a-neys

Exactly, a matter of priorities. Anyway, it'll help pad out the column, writing the 1st paragraph.

Is it being publicised by the Freemasons?

And kill off interest in Sheffield AND Scunthorpe.

No more nonsensical than Mildenhall competing in the away leg of their cup tie in essex & taking on the same opponents in hertfordshire in the league - what's Hackney got to do with it???? As is often cried on here, "How would you explain that to a newcomer? It makes a mockery of the sport - only in speedway " At least the (seperate, stand alone) concern using the name of Dudley (not "Cradley")has been set up with the express intention of securing a new home in Dudley. It's not some old-time misty-eyed nostalgia trip. I wouldn't imagine that the people of Sheffield cheering on the Scunny Saints, or Lincolnshire folk shouting "C'mon Sheffield" at their own tracks. So, Sheffield turn up at (say) Belle Vue & the reverse fixture is at Sheffield. Newport visit Scunthorpe & Scunthorpe are the visitors in Wales.

More total bollix. What have the BSPA got to announce? Exactly the same as the last Thursday Announcemt - who says there's going to be an announcement, other than somebody wanting to start a thread? Are Barrats' plans for their new estate in Brandon online yet?

Is it possible you've been coached by the Peterborough management in drama queen-ery? The EL is screwed anyway & has been for years, although the flouncing of two promoters might hasten its demise. One advantage of Terry Russell's self serving wheeling & dealing is that the PL teams have had loose change over the years from the Sky deal, so won't miss out on that much. A few more PL teams would build a proper league. Even as (for a while) a stepping stone, the PL would provide a huge learning experience for riders - wherever they're from - so there wouldn't be a shortage of riders: it would strengthen the PL in fact. Theonly folk I feel sorry for in all of this is Ipswich who, as part of coming into the PL are looking forward to battles with Kingg's Lynn. Let's hope they get them.

I've got a question for an Ipswich fan: This switch to the Premier League - do you feel like Bugs Bunny, stepping off a plummetting aeroplane to safety, just before it crashes into the ground? Come to think of it, that could be the EL sponsor for 2011: Plummet Airlines!